


Horizon

by monsterslut13



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst, Awkward Flirting, Background Relationships, Blow Jobs, Both champions are my characters, Boys Kissing, Champion Siblings, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Feel free to remind me, Flirting, Fluff, I've probably forgotten some tags, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Protective Siblings, Slow Burn, Teasing, The gym leaders are supportive siblings, There's goNNA BE SEX, This wasn't a story originally, Working things out, hey that's a tag, polyamorous sex, post-game spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:15:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21831343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterslut13/pseuds/monsterslut13
Summary: One late night conversation, a few tears and a heartfelt confession brings Orion back to Galar and to the sister he hasn’t seen in years. When it comes to Pokemon battles and being on top, there’s no one better than Alola’s current reigning champion, but family matters are something else entirely. Through Lucinda, Orion meets all the colourful characters that Galar has to offer, sparking off friendships and playful rivalries that will last a lifetime. His visit was only supposed to be short but the more he sees of Galar, the longer Orion wants to stay...if only a certain couple weren’t making his choice harder.
Relationships: Leon/Original Male Character, Leon/Raihan, Original Male Character/Leon/Raihan, Raihan/Original Male Character
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So it's been like ten months since I've uploaded anything, I lost my mojo and stuck to some original stories that I was writing for a friend. Playing Sword kinda got me inspired again...well not just Sword but Skyrim too, but that's a different ball game I'm working on. 
> 
> Both champions mentioned are mine and some characters within the story belong to a friend of mine - thanks @heartless241 for letting me use them.
> 
> I have no beta, so all mistakes are my own. I went through the chapter to make sure I left as few as possible {which of course means the second I post this I'll find a million}.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its affiliated characters, I'm just playing in its sandbox.

He never realised how refreshing it was to be able to walk somewhere without drawing a crowd, something that proved to be difficult no matter which island of Alola he was. Here, no one stared at him or stopped to ask for an autograph or to take a picture on their Rotom, no one shouted his name as he walked down the street and damn it felt good. Being another nameless and faceless Pokemon trainer that got lost in the crowd was something Orion hadn’t been able to feel in years. Fame had its ups and downs, lately the downs were far outweighing the ups and Orion really needed a vacation. The islands could handle themselves for a while. 

When he stepped out of the train station in Postwick, a man wearing a bright blue jacket and a bored expression on his face welcomed Orion into the small town and bid him to have a pleasant day. He didn’t even bat an eyelid when he saw his name on the ticket, the champion in him was relishing in the anonymity whilst the child was bristling in annoyance at not being recognized. Being able to get from town to town without the normal distractions happened to be a recent dream come true even if the Kahuna’s strongly suggested he only take a few days off to visit Galar. Orion was able to stretch that out to a few weeks since he hadn’t seen his sister since she was four and his mother in forever. Of course there were calls and video chats over the Rotom but at the end of the day that wasn’t a substitute for the real thing. 

Ten days ago his little sister called Orion in the middle of the night crying, her violet eyes were bloodshot mess and her hair was all over the place. Through the loud sobs and the tears he managed to figure out that being the new League Champion was stressful and Lucinda was starting to feel the pressure of a role that should never have gone to an eleven-year-old in the first place. Orion understood the pressure that came along with being the champion, ten years on and he was still the reigning champion of the Alola Islands. That kind of title clearly wasn’t meant for someone who still wasn’t old enough to drive. Lucinda needed him and he wasn't going to ignore that. Considering the former champion himself seemed kinda clueless about anything that wasn't battling, Orion felt it was his brotherly duty to return home and be there for her even if he couldn't in the past. 

The old family home was just like he remembered it, covered in plants and vines from where his mother liked to garden. Seeing as though it was so late Orion expected his mother and Lucinda to be home, but if the obnoxious party music from the mansion next door was anything to go by, he had to hazard a guess the two would be there. Pokemon trainers were going in and out of the house dressed up for some kind of party, there were violet and silver balloons decorating the fence posts and the mailbox as we as streamers all over the house. Someone was having a get together of some kind and Orion had no qualms in crashing the party. 

Clearly he'd been living in Alola for too long and was far too comfortable with the island aesthetic, this house was obnoxiously large. Who had a massive manor house in a small country town like Postwick? Even Orion's house wasn't so _look at me._ The champion crossed his arms against his chest and watches as a bunch of trainers left the house and walked around the side. There was a small pitch there for trainers that looked like it was supposed to be for rookies but clearly these guys weren't just starting out. Orion leaned over the gate so he could watch the match about to unfold. 

"And just what do you think you're doing?" A disapproving expression was written all over the woman's face as she gauged the trainers about to battle. She crossed her arms over her chest demanding an answer right there and then. "You're near the house boys, about to battle with evolved Pokemon. You know better. Take it out of town if you're insisting on a battle." She was amused more than angry, her lips twisted into a soft smile that said this wasn't the first time she'd had to break up a battle right beside her house. 

Orion recognized the two from the league cards Lucinda sent him during her championship challenges. He put his weight forward and jumped over the gate instead of opening it. "I'm looking for Lucinda and Joyce, are they around?" His presence didn't seem to phase the group of trainers but it did draw an excited shriek from within the crowd. How he missed her he had no idea, but Lucinda was dressed in clothes that were clearly not his little sister. She'd always had a punk-rock vibe but this was pre-teen pop star. Lucinda really needed to fire that stylist. 

"ORION!" Lucinda bounced over to him doing a remarkable imitation of a Spoink and launched herself into his arms. "You came! You came! You came!" He might have alluded to his upcoming trip to Galar in their chat the other day but Orion didn't outright say anything. She hugged him tightly finally drawing everyone's attention, "mum's inside! We're having a party Orion!" 

"I can see that," he chuckled, putting an arm protectively around her. It was good to see her, since their parents separated and he moved with their father to Alola, Orion never got the chance to play the part of big brother in the way he wanted to. Lucinda was only three at the time and remarkably attached to their mother like all children that age were. It made things easier and harder at the same time but as soon as he could Orion made sure to reach out and reconnect. Winning his own championship just made the visits harder so texts, video calls and random Pokegram stalks were the best the siblings could do. "Wanna introduce me shortie?" he teased. 

Lucinda lightly punched him in the arm and dragged Orion over to the group of trainers. "Guys! Look who came! This is my big brother Orion! Orion, this is Hop and Leon, Hop's my best friend and Leon is in charge of the Pokemon battle tower." 

"So you're the guy my sister crushed in a battle?" Orion asked, his smile clearly teasing. He held his hand out to Leon and the man offered his in return. "Nice to meet you battle master Leon." Orion looked him over, his eyes travelling up and down the other man's body. _Nice...very, very nice,_ he thought to himself. _They breed 'em nice in Galar that's for sure._ Maybe he felt like a bit of a pervert oogling the man but he was certainly something exceptional to look at. It’d been a while since he’d been with anyone really...

"Wasn't aware Lucinda even had a brother," the former champion retorted after he pulled his hand back. "Nice to meet you Orion." 

“And you must be the famous Hop?” Orion queried, his attention turning to the smaller of the pair. “I’ve heard tonnes about you kid.” And he really had, ever since Lucinda was old enough to write she was always telling him about what they got up to whenever they were together. He kinda felt bad for the kid, losing to her like that.

“Jeesh...good things right Lucy?” Hop gawfed, rubbing the back of his head. “Nice to meet you...I guess,” he added, seeing Lucinda’s cheeky grin. 

"And you too Hop," Orion added, shaking his hand. 

"Man it has to run in the family!" Hop exclaimed. "How long you staying in Galar?"

Orion opened his mouth to say more but Lucinda latched onto his arm and yanked him in the direction of the crowd she came from. "Guess we'll talk later Hop!" he called back. “Bye Leon!”

"He's got a boyfriend moron," Lucinda huffed, nudging Orion with her elbow. She might only be twelve but she had eyes in her head. “And they’re happy!” 

"Ain't no harm in looking Lucy," Orion grinned. "He's just as fine as his league card." The champion nudged his sister back and the two burst out laughing. It was nice to see Lucinda was at least attempting to have some downtime and fun for herself but honestly he could see the slouch in her shoulders. He had freedom on the islands, of course as champion Orion also had events he had to oversee, parties he had to go to and trouble he helped deal with but he wasn't as busy as Lucinda seemed to be. What a weight for the League to put on a girl that wasn't even classed as a teenager yet. He made himself a mental note to talk to their mother, he loved the woman but she was never very good when it came to saying no, so no doubt the League's PR team was running circles around her. All Lucinda needed to do was stand up for her own sense of style and passion, after all, she won the championship without them running around Galar with her. 

Lucinda pulled his hand and stopped beside the group of disinterested friends. "Orion this is Marnie, we were in the championship challenge together," she smiled, introducing him to a girl that was more her sense of style. "Her brother is the gym leader in Spikemuth, Piers. And these are Bellatrix and Erian, they were in the challenge too," Lucinda grinned, introducing her brother to her friends in turn. "We were celebrating Bella's birthday before Hop and Leon decided they wanted to have a battle and see who was the best." 

"Nice to meet you all," Orion smiled, shaking their hands. "I don't want to drag Lucy away but I want to talk to her and mum, excuse me for dragging her away from the festivities." He didn't give two shits about it if they minded, Orion was a bit of a prat that way. "So you wanna tell me what all this is about," the champion asked, waving his hand at the dress she was wearing. "Since when did you become pop rock over punk rock?" 

"My stylist said it's all the rage in Hammerlocke," Luncinda objected, smoothing her hands over the shimmering pink fabric. She did feel a little naked without her leggings and combat boots but Maria was insistent on the image she had to have now that she was an icon as well as champion. 

Orion snorted, "since when does the great Lucinda need a stylist?" he frowned. "What happened?" he knelt on the ground in front of her and took Lucinda's hands, "I got your new card design and I don't see a touch of you in there. What happened to the punk-rock princess thing you had going? And if you say Maria I'm gonna set my Incineroar on her." 

Lucinda giggled, "oh that'd be priceless Ori!" she exclaimed. Her violet eyes swept over her brother's body, he was wearing clothes she'd say was typical for Alola but not for Galar, Orion was gonna freeze here wearing just a pair of shorts and an open shirt with a singlet underneath. She had to suppress her giggle when she realised the shirt had little Bulbasaur’s and flowers all over it. Nobody outside of Hulbury would wear it and even than the sea-side town wasn't very summery. "I just...I want people to like me. I'm the champion now Orion-" 

"Any fans you had when you did the championship challenge liked you for you, not what you wore or what fashion trend you set off," Orion reminded her. He reached up and pulled the bow out of Lucinda's hair so he could let it down, she never wore her hair up so why start now. "Go home and get into something you wanna wear kid. When you're done, come back and we'll go see mum." 

Her eyes went wide and Lucinda tackled him into a tight hug. "Thank you Orion!" 

"I'm only here to help," Orion told her. "We can talk tomorrow about this damn PR team of yours if you want, don't let 'em walk all over you baby girl." He messed up her hair and stood up once Lucinda had run up the path towards the house. 

"That PR team can be damn ruthless," Leon whistled, the former champion leaning with his back against the fence, face tilted up to the moon. "But you'd know what it's like, wouldn't you?" 

Orion chuckled, "just come out and ask me Leon. Yeah I'm the Alola champion, I'm just taking some family time is all." Lucinda and their mother was all he really had now, their father was off in some jungle somewhere exploring ruins and ancient burial sites. "Lucy really needs it and mum ain't the best at telling people no." 

"So you're here to help your sister get her voice back?" Leon asked. "That's an interesting concept I'm looking forward to seeing unfold. You staying anywhere in particular whilst you're here or you just winging in?" 

Orion laughed at him, "I was thinking Hammerlocke or Motostoke, wherever Lucy's been dragged off to next." 

"Signing tour," Leon answered. "Visiting each gym to sign autographs and photo ops with each gym leader. It got put off due to Chairman Rose and Darkest Day." 

"Yeah she told me about that," Orion replied, remembering his own island tour after he won his title. "I'm here for a few weeks anyway, I think it'll be great to explore the region and get to know our brothers and sisters across the sea." He could travel and catch a few Pokemon uncommon in Alola or even trade some that were uncommon here. "Hey, true or false, do you guys have a Pokemon over here shaped like an apple that's really a dragon type?" 

It was Leon's turn to laugh. "Yeah we do. Applin, but it's really a worm Pokemon that lives in the apple Orion. You itching to catch one?" 

"Might be," Orion responded. "I need to update my Pokedex to Galar, I should be able to do that right?" 

Leon finally turned his gaze away from the sky and locked it on Orion, in the morning I can take you up to Sonia, she's working with Hop to become a professor. Or you can get Lucinda to take you." 

Orion sniggered, his violet eyes dancing impishly, "I hear you get lost more often than not," he pointed out. "Like you don't even stand a chance walking a straight line kind of lost." 

Leon stared at Orion, the man was doing a very impressive imitation of kicked Rockruff even when he tilted his head to the side. "Thanks Lucinda," he muttered under his breath, "your sister has a big mouth." 

"The biggest," Orion laughed, nodding his agreement. "But that’s what little sisters do hey? I'll talk it over with Lucy tonight and we can go in the morning. I doubt me crashing on the couch tonight will be a bad thing, In the afternoon I'll head to Hammerlocke-" 

"The battle tower's in Wyndon," Leon stated, cutting him off, "you could stay at the Rose, nice five star hotel-" 

"Any hotels by the beach?" Orion cut him off. 

"No beaches," Leon shot back. He certainly played the part of care-free beach goer, Orion would probably get along with Nessa and her water Pokemon. Leon made a note to make time and introduce the two when he had a chance, or talk to to Lucinda and get her to do the same thing. He wondered what kind of Pokemon he had, probably water ones judging by the way the guy looked. Lucinda didn't have a type, maybe Orion did? Leon had to check online, it wasn't until now that he asked himself why he never looked at the other champions in other regions. 

"Vacation ruined!" Orion bemoaned, his tone childish but deliberate. "If you want me to be your guest in Wyndon, I'm more than happy to be." Of course he wanted to talk things over with Lucinda, see where his help was best needed and with what, maybe they could even have a match so they could test out each other's skills. "Check me out on Pokegram, I'm friends with Lucy so flick me a request." 

Leon groaned, "don't tell me you're a social media addict? Raihan's always taking selfies, couple's selfies are the worst." 

_Raihan huh…? Isn't that the dragon gym leader?_ Orion asked himself. Well it made sense cause Lucinda said they trained together when they were kids and the guy proclaimed Leon to be his biggest rival. Funny how a rivalry could turn into a relationship. "Well this is me," Orion declared, seeing Lucinda bounce down the stairs wearing clothes that were suited to her style. "Send Me the request, we can catch up in the morning, maybe after your professor updates the dex we can have a battle? I've seen the team line-up Leon, pretty impressive. Especially when you dynamax your Pokemon. First time I saw Charizard I was dead ass trying to figure out how Lucy was gonna beat you." 

"See that's no fair since you can't dynamax," Lucinda pointed out, the pre-teen catching the end of their conversation when she joined them. 

"Well we just won't dynamax," Leon assured her. "You're on Alola." He held his hand out for Orion to take, the other man's grip was like iron but so was Leon's. "You and me, tomorrow, Pokemon battle." 

"Challenge accepted Galar," Orion beamed, giving his hand a squeeze. "No dynamaxing, no holding back." 

Lucinda hooked her arm around Orion's, "come on, come on, we need to go see mum," she urged, tugging him in the direction of the house. "Come on or I'll drag you there!" she huffed. 

"Please," Orion scoffed. "You not exactly the tallest here Lucy." He gasped and rubbed his arm when Lucinda punched him, "ouch! Arceus, you pack a punch girl." He cast Leon a side glance and shrugged, "thanks for the talk Galar. See you tomorrow," Orion waved, letting Lucinda tug him towards the house. "You don't mind do you?" he inquired quietly, the questioned aimed at his sister. 

"He has a boyfriend," Lucinda repeated, clearly setting out to remind him of that fact. 

"It's harmless fun Lucy," Orion laughed, brushing off the clearly concerned look on her face. "What could possibly go wrong with a bit of fun?" He wasn’t about to get into a full-blown relationship with someone after breaking up with Hau last year.

Lucinda shook her head, "you worry me sometimes Orion, you're supposed to be the oldest." 

"Lucy, I'm on vacation," he reminded her, "no one knows who I am, I'm not the champion here. I'm just another nameless, faceless person in the crowd. Relax Lucy, let's just go talk to mum." 

"You're impossible!" Lucinda huffed. 

"In case you didn't notice...so are you baby sis," Orion grinned, "but it's a trait we both share and one that helped us get where we are now." He put her arm around his shoulder and kissed her cheek, "now, is there any food at this party? I'm starving." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bother and sister make plans to sort who Lucinda wants to be as champion, Leon get's lost after talking to Sonia, and Orion get's the opportunity to try something new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we move on with the chapter, I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or if you don't celebrate, have Happy Holidays. This should have been up yesterday but I had family over for Christmas {there was board games and alcohol involved in case you were wondering}. 
> 
> I have no beta, so all mistakes are my own. I went through the chapter to make sure I left as few as possible {which of course means the second I post this I'll find a million}.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its affiliated characters, I'm just playing in its sandbox.

The phone was vibrating so loud he could have sworn it was shaking the whole house. Bleary eyed and tired from a day of travel followed by late night, Orion clearly didn't want to be up this early. He reached blindly up behind his head, hand moving across the side table until he found the device slowly moving towards the edge. Orion rubbed his eyes and took a moment or two to focus before he unlocked the phone, he wanted to see what was so important that he be up at the ass crack of dawn. _Well it wasn’t the ass crack of dawn but it was still too early to be up when you were on holidays._

About fifty plus requests flashed across the screen, some were emails, others were likes and comments on some of his photos but the friend requests were what he was looking for. Immediately Orion accepted Leon's along with Hop's and Marnie's before a chat request popped up on his screen from the former champion himself. Curiously he checked the timestamp, his phone had already adjusted to Galar time so his sleepy mind couldn't figure out why he was getting a message so early in the morning. 

**_TowerMasterLeon_001:_ ** _I get why I'm up early...what are you doing up so early?_

Orion rolled his eyes, he pushed up so he was positioned in a way that his back would hate him for later, and accepted the request. He could have turned the phone off and gone back to sleep but now he didn't want to, Orion happened to be on vacation so bad life choices were his thing now. Given how late they'd gone to bed last night, he should have gone back to sleep, after Lucinda fell asleep Orion and their mother sat up for hours afterwards catching up. He tried a few times to tackle the conversation about Lucinda's PR team but Joyce kept on diverting him to how amazing her support crew are. After the sixth time Orion just gave up, vowing to try again the next day. Lucinda should be there...united front an all.

**_Orion_J:_ ** _Vibrations and not the good kind :) Shudda turned the damn thing off. Why you up so damn early? Can’t stop thinking about me?_

He glanced up when he heard the shower turn on upstairs followed by Lucinda practically slamming the door shut. She had an early start this morning and had to be at the station in Wedgehurst by seven. The siblings made plans to join up in Motostoke tomorrow since today was just going to be a series of interviews and product endorsements. Orion argued that he wanted to be there but Lucinda didn't want him to jump straight into her side of the field after just arriving. Out of earshot of their mother she tried her hardest to assure him that she was going to make them listen to her. 

**_TowerMasterLeon_001:_ ** _You have no filter, do you? I'm up cause Raihan was up...he jogs in the morning, actually volunteers for it like some kind of crazy person. He's like a stampede of Rhyhorns when he 'tries to be quiet'._

Orion sniggered as he looked through some of the photos on Leon's profile. He didn't seem to have many right up until he started dating Raihan then he was getting tagged in heeps. _Boyfriend pictures._ Orion screwed his nose up and blew a quiet childish raspberry, he had his own fair share of them on his profile but now they were just pictures of his Pokemon or beautiful scenery or his new favorite picture of him and Lucinda. _Which he needed as his new profile picture._

**_Orion_J:_ ** _Reminds me of someone I used to know tbh. Shits, the lot of ‘em. We still up for today oh Tower Master?_

Deft fingers flicked around on the flat surface of his screen and by the time he'd changed his profile picture another message popped up from Leon

**_TowerMasterLeon_001:_ ** _Raihan's back, ttyl._

Orion yawned and sat his phone down just Joyce came slipping her nightgown on. "Morning mum," he waved, getting up to follow her into the kitchen. "Coffee?" Orion asked, perking up when he saw the pot she was putting on. “Please tell me that’s coffee? I haven’t had good coffee since I left home.”

"How do you like it?" Joyce asked, clearly in zombie mode herself. 

"Black like my soul," Orion teased. "I'm gonna let the gang out of their balls, you don't mind do you?" Instead of waiting for her mumbled reply, Orion pushed the back door and propped it open so he could let his pokemon out one by one. "You kids be good okay?" he told them, kneeling down to scratch Umbreon under the chin. "And how are you gorgeous?" Orion cooed, running his hand through the fur on her neck. "You gonna be a good girl for daddy? Yes you are." He really loved his Pokemon, to him they weren't just tools for battle but family that relied on each other. Orion grinned as Espeon hurried over to lean against his mate, his heart always fluttered when he saw how affectionate they were over each other. Orion was sure Umberon was carrying an egg but he needed to be sure and take her to a Poke Center. "Daddy'll get you all breakfast, don't worry about it kids." 

Joyce was staring at him, the expression on her face was pure amusement and she was trying not to laugh. "You look like your father but you're nothing like him," the woman grinned, putting his coffee on the bench. "We might not have enough feed for your Pokemon and Lucy's," she added. "There's a shop in Wedgehurst of you wanna go get some. Mr Todd is usually open at this time." 

Orion's back cracked as he got up, clearly sleeping on the couch hadn't done his spine and good. "Yeah, just let me put some clothes on. As amazing as I look, Doubt they want me walking around in my boxers." He headed back into the kitchen, stopping when he felt a tug on his shorts. Orion chuckled at Banette and picked the Pokemon up, "coming for a walk huh?" he grinned. "Could use the company." 

Dressing proved to be a little awkward with a Pokemon that didn't want to let him go but he managed it, soon enough Orion was heading down the path out of Postwick. It certainly was a quaint little town but it wasn't what Orion was used to. He had his own place back in Heahea City, it was out of the way and had enough room for his Pokemon to roam about along with the many he'd caught in his travels over the years. He certainly preferred the heat of the islands to the weird cold that was here. Orion made a note to go shopping for something more weather appropriate clothes the closer he got to the shops. _Maybe there was something in Hammerlocke that was less country town and more I actually look in the mirror in the morning?_ “Mr Todd right?” he called out. 

A large elderly man was out the front of the only grocery store in town, he smiled at Orion and sat a bouquet of flowers amongst the display. “What can I help you with today?” he boomed, brushing dirty hands off on his apron. 

“Pokemon feed, you got any?” Orion asked. 

“Of course we do,” Mr Todd huffed as if he’d been insulted. “Where do you need it delivered?” 

“Postwick, Joyce James’ house?” Orion answered, digging around for his wallet.

He held his hand up and coughed, stopping him, “Joyce has an account, she squares at the end of the month. I’ll have a couple of the Machoke deliver it within the hour.”

Orion still took out his wallet and handed him a few notes, “I’ll take a bag with me now, mum didn’t expect to have to feed my sister’s Pokemon as well as mine.” He handed the grocer his money and kicked a stone whilst he waited for Mr Todd to come back with his food. “Thanks for that, I’ll let mum know that there’s some more food coming.” Unfortunately for Banette it meant that he had to put the Pokmeon on the ground so Orion could carry the bag home. 

"Alright, alright," he huffed. "You say hello to that sister of yours for me when you see her." 

"Will do sir," Orion smiled politely. He said his goodbyes and took the short walk back home again, this time a couple more people occupied the streets on their way to start the day. Orion was greeted by each and every one of them despite the fact they didn't know who he was or what he was even doing here. It reminded him of Iki Town where he grew up with his dad. By the time both he and Banette had returned home Lucinda was busy feeding his Pokemon and was chatting loudly with each on. "What are you doing squirt?" he teased. 

"Trying to figure out what that is," Lucinda huffed whilst her eyes gave Solgaleo the once or twice over. "He's temperamental and won't let me pat him." 

"That's Solgaleo," Orion explained, "you should probably leave him be. He won't attack you but I'd still leave him alone." He mussed up her hair, noting it was still wet from the shower. "So you've got a photoshoot this morning and then what?" 

"A few TV interviews and then a meeting with my PR team," Lucinda sighed. "But that's this afternoon and you've got your little not-date this morning. Did you even set a time?" 

"Eh," Orion shrugged. "He ain't coming. I asked him if he's still on for today but his boyfriend came back." He fell quiet and took the time to help Lucinda finish feeding their Pokemon. "I'll come to your shoot this morning and we can fire that damn stylist. She doesn't know a thing about your style and she's dressing you like you're twenty, not twelve. You don't sexualize children no matter how famous they are." At least his PR team was pretty relaxed on what he wore but Orion was a boy. 

"Maria means well-" 

"Yeah and so do Team Rocket," Orion snorted. "Come on Lucy, the Pokemon have their food, let's just go eat ourselves then we can go to Hammerlocke." 

"Why don't you do the photoshoot with your sister?" Joyce suggested, their mother busily working away on breakfast. "My two champions, who would have thought there'd be two of you in the family? Arceus we did well with you two."

Orion kept his mouth shut but it pissed him off, it wasn't like she raised him and neither did his father. Carter James was off to ruin after ruin after ruin, seeing fit to leave him at home with their neighbours or with Hala. He saw more of them than his own father and it was still a sore spot for him. "Yeah sure mum," Orion answered shortly. He sat at the table across from Lucinda, his thoughts wandering whilst they ate breakfast. Logically Orion knew they'd had family meals before but it just felt weird to be sitting here with the woman he called mum but didn't really know. 

"You should message Leon to let him know if you're heading into Hammerlocke with your sister," Joyce suggested, their meal now long gone and Pokemon back in their balls. She'd been sitting there on the lounge beside his bag waiting for him when he emerged from the shower. "And maybe look at getting yourself clothes that are less beach bum and more professional Pokemon Champion." 

"Mum, I say this because I care, what I wear and what Lucy wears are none of your business," Orion replied. "She's twelve, not twenty, don't dress her up like meat. She's punk rock not pop rock. And as for me, well I'm an adult now and my PR team were pretty relaxed in what I wore. I'll run the joint photoshoot by Lucy but I'm not sitting by and letting them doll her up. It didn't matter when she was off on her own in the championship challenge, it shouldn't matter now." It felt a little hard trying to adult when one was wearing a shirt with a surfboarding Bulbasaur on it. “I’m going to be checking in with Lucy when I can as well, I don’t wanna smother her but she needs he help, trust me when I say that being a champion isn’t easy.” Orion leaned in to get his bag and at the same time he kissed his mum on the head, “maybe you should get out of Postwick for a while and see what it’s like to be in our shoes.” 

“Ori you coming?” Lucinda yelled as she bounded down the stairs. She might have been small but damn she sounded like a herd of charging Rhyhorns. “We might miss the sky-taxi!” she exclaimed

Orion turned away from their mum and laughed the second he saw the massive bag his sister was carrying, “damn Lucy, that bag’s as big as you are!” he teased. The champion shouldered his bag and headed to the front door with Lucinda running after them. Directions on the Rotom said it wouldn’t take long to get to Hammerlocke via the sky-taxi even if he wanted to cross the wild area, apparently Lucinda found that hilarious when Orion asked what that was the first time he’d heard of it. Catching Pokemon like that seemed like a great idea but Orion could try that later when they had the time to spend together. 

“It has everything I need in it!” Lucinda pouted. She opened the front door and waved at their mum, “I’ll call you tonight,” she assured Joyce, “bye mum!”

“Have fun you two,” Joyce called after them. 

“Bye mum!” Orion shouted back. He really needed to come back once he helped Lucinda sort herself out and spend some time with his mum. They’d been apart for two long even if their parents decided it was to be that way. 

“I heard what mum said,” Lucinda spoke up. They’d been quiet up until the two of them hit the road to Wedghurst, Orion for the second time that day. “About a joint photoshoot. You’re here on holiday Ori, don’t do it, okay?” she frowned. 

Orion laughed, “I’ll have you know I am extremely photogenic little sister, I’ve done my fair share of tours and photoshoots, it’s been ten years and still no one’s beaten me.” It wasn’t like he got a kick out of beating everyone that finally managed to reach him in the Island Challenge, it was just that no one had ever gotten close to his mastery of Pokemon battles. “We could always go one step further and have an exhibition match between the two of us and see who’s the better champion.”

Lucinda’s eyes almost rolled into the back of her head. “You’d win for sure Orion,” she admitted. “I only beat Leon because of pure luck.”

“I doubt it,” he shot back. He knew Lucinda had mad skills, he’d watched every single match she participated in online and she was good. The way Lucinda bonded with her Pokemon and stood her ground in a fight amazed him, Orion was so proud of her. “You have a chance Lucy, don’t doubt yourself.” 

Lucinda frowned, _of course he’d say that to her_. “So you’ll promise me that you’ll meet me in Hammerlocke this afternoon, yeah?” she asked. Ahead of them at the Pokemon Center she spied Leon standing out the window peering in and looking like he’d gotten himself lost...again. How he managed to get himself lost in the place he grew up in amazed her and just about everyone that knew him. Leon was really hopeless when it came to directions. 

“No I’m coming with you,” Orion objected. 

“You’re not,” Lucinda answered, pointing over at Leon. “I think he’s lost again.” 

Orion burst out laughing. On one hand, a look around would be nice, but on the other Orion told Lucinda that he was going to go with her this morning. “Hey, I said I’d come.”

“But Leon came all the way out here to show you around,” Lucinda objected. “You can come see me at lunch time and come to the interviews with me if you want?” she suggested, trying to think of other things they could do together. “You can come to Turffield with me when I set out tomorrow. Oh, you could meet Milo, he’s really sweet and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a girlfriend...or a boyfriend.”

“Holy Arceus Lucinda!” Orion choked. His little sister giving him dating ideas was not happening, not in a hundred years. “If you’re worried about me making moves on Leon, don’t be. He has a boyfriend, blah, blah. I’m no homewrecker sis!” 

Lucinda had every intention in responding to that but Leon managed to cut right in at the worst time. “Hey there you are!” Leon shouted, running over to them. “I was talking with Sonia and I got a little lost!” His golden eyes zoomed in on the bags the two were carrying and he crossed his arms, “we had an appointment Orion, don’t tell me you’re jumping out on me?” 

The way the corner of his mouth curved into a frown and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout made the two siblings extra guilty. Orion tilted his head to the side and almost licked his lips... _Arceus what I wouldn’t give to suck on that bottom lip_ , he confessed internally. “I wasn’t I swear!” he objected. _Liar._

“Ori wanted to see me off,” Lucinda assured Leon, “you take Ori to see Sonia and I’ll see you two at lunch, yeah?” 

Leon hung an arm over Orion’s shoulder, “you got it boss!” 

“But she’s not the boss,” Orion laughed. 

“Yeah she is.” Leon grinned widely as he waved Lucinda off to the sky-taxi, “anyway, I said to Sonia last night that you don’t have a dynamax band and she said they have a few wishing stars laying around. You wanna learn how to dynamax?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a baby Eevee in my life


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Orion likes nature photography and a blast from the past causes trouble in Galar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I wanted to apologise for the massive gap in the update since chapter two. The reason why is because I live in Australia, more specifically in New South Wales where we've had those massive bush fires. Where I live hasn't been directly touched but we've been on standby to evacuate twice so naturally I haven't really been in the mood for writing. Thank you for your understanding. 
> 
> I have no beta so naturally all mistakes are mine. If you find any that I appear to have missed, drop me a line and I'll fix them up. 
> 
> I do not own Pokemon, I'm just playing in the sandbox.

Getting lost all the time was a fate that Leon had long since accepted. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to change it but there was so much going on in his head that directions weren’t exactly high on the list of priorities. He could get lost going from Postwick to Wedgehurst but this was the first time he’d ever lost a person. Lucinda was going to murder him when she found out he’d gone and lost her brother. Leon usually lost places, not people, all he did was turn his back for a few minutes to talk to Sonia and Orion was just gone. 

Sonia might have found it hilariously funny but Leon didn't like the idea of having lost the champion's brother. He might had to borrow Yamper to look for him but as it turns out, the trusty puppy didn't have to look too far when the pair found Orion laying on the grass with his rotom phone taking photos of a small family of Pirrloin and Leipard. The Pokemon didn't seem to mind him lying there, in fact from where Leon and Sonia were looking, it seemed like they were putting on a bit of a show. "And here I thought I was the Pokemon professor," Sonia quipped playfully as she crawled down on the grass beside him, "you a bit of a nature buff in your spare time?” 

“More like super amateur photographer,” Orion shot back, playfully when Leon got down on his other side. “You’ll get your fancy clothes ruined there Leon,” he teased, taking another photo. “Been thinking I’ll throw these up on Pokegram and see if I can’t generate some tourism for your region.” Orion glanced back at Leon with a smile on his face, “you know one of these days someone young is gonna come along and knock me down like they did with you and every other reigning champion in the other regions.” 

Leon rolled his eyes at him, surely Orion had a point with that observation? Maybe it was a joke at his expense? But he really didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would do that to someone. “Is there a point to this?”

“Totally,” Orion replied. “Well more like a question,” he corrected himself, “how did you know what you wanted to do when Lucinda beat you? Was there this moment of holy shit or did you just sit back and enjoy it?”

Sonia laughed outright, almost scaring off the Pokemon. “He sat around for a good couple of weeks moping about his former glory until Raihan cheered him up with the idea for the battle tower.” She poked her tongue out at Leon when the former champion glared at her, his threat was empty but it was kinda cute to see him be a little childish. 

“If you’re looking for advice I might not be the best person to ask,” Leon answered. “Each person is different. When Lucinda beat me it was both heartbreaking and a relief at the same time. The past ten years has been one thing after the other after the other and my life has been too public...it’s nice to have some measure of privacy Orion.” He sighed, sure there were moments where a public dinner was interrupted by a fan or a journalist wishing for his autograph or a photo, but it wasn’t as much as he was used to. Lucinda was the hot new thing now and he was inclined to let her have that spotlight even if it did throw him around a bit after she’d won. Leon wouldn’t say that he was depressed but it certainly did a number on his ego for a little bit afterwards. “Do you want to be champion anymore?” 

Orion paused, his finger was just a few millimeters away from the photo button on his phone and he appeared to be thinking about the workings of the universe. “There are benefits to my position...I can protect people and Pokemon...but it certainly is invasive when it boils right down to it. Hau broke up with me because I had no time for him and he found someone else to love.”  _ Am I just like my father? _ He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and hit the button, taking the picture. Orion closed his phone and put the device back in his pocket as he sat up. “So, what were you guys talking about when I walked off?”

Sonia tilted her head, she knew a change of topic whenever she saw it but for now she’d bite. “Well we were talking about getting you a dynamaxing band. It’ll take me a couple of days so I’ll call you when it’s done. For now, you wanted me to update your Pokedex right?” When Orion nodded, the redhead jumped up off the ground, suddenly gaining a burst of random energy. “Great! Give me your phone and let’s go back to the lab!” 

Orion reluctantly handed the device to Sonia, both he and Leon standing up to follow her back to the lab. “It’s been forever since I’ve caught a new Pokemon and trained them up from when they were a baby.” A sheepish grin appeared on his face of the memory of getting Incineroar when he was just a tiny Litten. 

“But you’re already carrying six,” Sonia pointed out. 

“My Umbreon’s about to lay her egg,” Orion told her, “so I’m gonna be down two Pokemon whilst her and Espeon get used to being parents. No point on carting them around the islands when they’ve got a hatchling to deal with.” He was actually looking forward to training one or two new Pokemon, ones that were caught in Galar would be a rarity back home, maybe he could catch that Applin Pokemon, now that would throw the folks back home off their game. 

“Aww aren’t you sweet?!” Sonia gaped, nudging him with her arm. “You gonna be a papa?”

“Oh yeah sure,” Orion laughed, rolling his eyes. Ahead of them the laboratory came into view and when they got there Sonia told the two to make themselves at home which Leon did immediately. The former champion was eyeing him off and it was making Orion nervous, he didn’t even have his phone to fiddle around with so eventually he just picked a book off the shelf and started reading about the mating habits of Rhyhorn.

Leon tilted his head and sat his phone on his knee, grinning from ear to ear. “So Hau is the guy from your Pokegram pictures right?” 

Orion put the book down with a little more force than he should have, making the noise echo through the large, empty room. “Yeah that was Hau and I really don’t want to talk about it with some guy I met yesterday.” He didn’t mean it to come out so snappy but things didn’t end well when it was done with. “Shit, Arceus I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.” 

Holding is hands up in surrender, Leon managed to brush it off like it was nothing. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t wanna pry-” The sheepish expression on Leon’s face vanished the instance he saw Sonia come back in, “what’s wrong?” 

“A whole bunch of different Pokemon are going crazy in the wild area and attacking anything that moves,” Sonia answered quickly. “I heard it over the radio, some of the other gym leaders are going in to try and assess the situation, Lucinda’s going as well. They could use the help in getting some of the other trainers out of the way.”

Leon turned back to Orion who was already checking to make sure he had everything he needed, including the pokeballs strapped to his belt. “Figured you’d be coming.” 

Orion flashed his best shiteating grin, “usually I deal with this stuff on my own, I’m up for the challenge Galar.” He grabbed his rotom from Sonia on the way out, watching as Leon threw a ball out and Charizard materialized. He kinda wished he had a flying Pokemon right now though, Charizard was an impressive dragon to look on. 

“Care for a ride?” the former champion grinned. 

“As if the two of us could fit,” Orion answered, selecting his own Pokemon. With a flick of the wrist, Solgaleo came out of his ball, shaking his mane. 

“What is that?” Leon asked, clearly stunned at the sight of a Pokemon he’d never seen before. 

Orion climbed up on their back, patting Solgaleo’s head gently, “oh this little one? This is Solgaleo, he’s been with me since I became the champion.” As far as he could tell, Solgaleo was genderless but he stuck to calling the Pokemon a he and got no objections from him. “Just like your Charizard I guess.” 

“Can you keep up Alola?” Leon called out when Charizard flexed his wings and took to the sky. 

“That’s cheating!” Orion shouted after him, vaguely hearing Sonia wish them good luck. He nudged Solgaleo and the Pokemon shot off after Charizard, keeping up to the dragon surprisingly well. He really hoped that Lucinda was going to be there, it meant that he’d be able to see her merit as the new champion. Of course Orion had seen it during her battle on TV but nothing was better than the real thing. 

The trip to the wild area didn’t take long with their Pokemon, when they got there, Orion was considerably impressed by the various battles that were going on. He could tell the gym leaders and their Pokemon apart along with what appeared to be more experienced trainers trying to assist. Pokemon were practically rampaging, even ones known to have a more docile nature. 

With the exception of Umbreon, Orion let every Pokemon out of their balls and knelt in front of them. “Okay guys, you’ve got free reign on this one, help as many people as you can and take it easy on the other Pokemon. If you see anything unusual, come get me, they need to find out what’s causing this. Incineroar, you stay with me.” 

He didn’t bother looking back for some kind of permission from Leon, instead the champion just ran into the fray with Incineroar and his Pokemon charged a Hitmonlee. Orion shouted out, giving the order to let loose his flamethrower to cover the trainer it was about to attack. “You alright kid?” he asked, helping her to her feet. He could have sworn it was Lucinda’s friend Bellatrix from the party yesterday. 

“I saw someone messing around in one of the dens over there,” Bellatrix coughed, pointing shakily towards a glowing red ring. “Then the Pokemon started getting angry and attacking anything that moved. We tried to stop them but...I’m not very good.”

Orion’s eyes followed her finger and he frowned, “and I’m not even remotely qualified to go in there.” Lucinda told him what they were during her travels and Orion couldn’t dynamax, least not yet anyway. He instructed Bellatrix to recall her Pokemon and follow him to the nearest gym leader. 

“Little busy here!” she quipped, her Pokemon sending out a jet stream of water.

“You might wanna hear what Bellatrix has to say,” Orion answered. “Incineroar, flamethrower!” he shouted, pointing at another Hitmonlee. “Get out of here Bellatrix,” he instructed, she was a little worse for wear but still had that dangerous spark in her jade eyes Orion dodged a bolt of lightning just barely and Incineroar took out the Pokemon that attacked him. 

The air around him was thick with anticipation and attacks as they flew left, right and center. 

Orion wasn’t entirely sure how long the whole thing took but when his Pokemon started coming back to him, the champion noticed how weirdly silently everything was. He dug a small bag of treats out of his belt pouch, throwing one each to his Pokemon as he walked over to the small group of gym leaders who managed to come and help. The first thing he noticed was a device in Nessa’s hands, or what was left of a device that looked incredibly familiar. “Son of a bitch,” Orion muttered angrily when he stepped up into the circle beside Leon and Lucinda. “I know what that is.”

Lucinda glanced up at her brother inquisitively, “what is it?” 

“It’s a behavioural device that messes with the temperment of Pokemon, makes them more violent,” Orion explained. “I dealt with a professor a few years back who was making these and stashing them about the islands as an experiment.” The annoying part of the investigation was that the plans went missing when he and some of the other challenge leaders found his base. At first they thought it might have been his assistant but the woman turned up dead and they were back to square one. “I’ll contact Professor Kukui and get him to send over what research notes he has on file.” 

“So you’ve done this before?” Lucinda questioned, getting a nod back in return. “Did you know about this?”

“Arceus no, Luce,” Orion objected. “I’m here to support you, but when you look at it objectively, Galar isn’t too far from Alola and people do travel between the regions. It’s not entirely impossible for the bad guys to pack up shop and move to cause trouble somewhere else.”  _ Yeah, look at Team Rocket and all their little off-shoots gangs.  _

“So you’re saying that these things could possibly be all over Galar?”  _ Oh so that’s Raihan… _ he had no problem letting his eyes check out the real thing but only just managed to hide the smirk behind his lips. 

Orion nodded, “possibly. Guess that’s something we need to work on finding out then?”

Raihan cross his arms against his chest, eyes walking over Orion, most likely sizing him up. “Alright then, you’re helping us with the investigation, since you know what you’re doing, you’re in charge.”

“Hey, wait a sec-” he tried to object when Orion went to follow Raihan, only for Leon to grab him and cut the champion off. “Leon?” 

“How dangerous are these devices?” Leon asked. “Honest truth Orion.”

Orion sighed, he pinched his nose feeling the sudden onset of a headache bulldozing into his brain. “Honest truth? They cause some trouble back on the islands so you can only imagine if they activate and send a dynamaxed Pokemon on a rampage. Especially in a city.” He rubbed the back of his neck and threw his hands up in the air, “fine, I need to go call the professor.” 

_ Guess the vacation is over. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casa de Raihan gets four stars for the staff, minus one for poor quality room service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man it feels like forever since I uploaded, even though it was only in January. 
> 
> 2020 just sucks, first my country was on fire, then we flooded, then everyone got sick because of the C word. Since I'm the only functioning person in my house and an essential worker I've been so busy I lost the will to write. At least now I think I have it back. Who knows. 
> 
> Please enjoy, I do not own

There was a Banette sitting on his chest. 

The ghost Pokemon was the first thing Orion saw when he opened his eyes, the second being the draconic decor on the roof above his head. Groaning as he sat up, the champion ran his hand through his hair as if the action would get rid of the pounding in his head. Banette scrambled off him and plopped herself on the bed, watching Orion get out of bed and stumble partially blindly to the bathroom. Getting there when he was half asleep wasn't easy when he most tripped over Solgaleo. 

A single blue eye cracked open and waited for Orion to come back before he closed it again. "Yeah don't move," he muttered, rubbing at the sheet creases on his face as if it would get rid of them. Orion stumbled over to his bed and pushed Banette back over so he could slump face first into the mattress and suffocate himself to death or fall asleep. Whatever came first. Just as he thought sweet blissful death was about to embrace him there came a resounding thudding on the door.  _ Oh for the love of Arceus please let me wither away and die, _ he huffed dramatically. 

"Orion we're having breakfast if you wanna join us!" Raihan shouted through the wood. "And there's coffee!" 

Orion sat upright and scrambled for his shirt, eventually choosing to forgo the garment when he saw Umbreon sleeping on it. He really needed to take her to a Pokecenter so made a quick mental note to do that today and went out to follow the smell of food. 

Raihan and Leon extended an invitation to use the guest room in the penthouse apartment they shared, it would be easier than travelling everyday from Postwick. The penthouse the couple shared wasn’t too bad, aside from the large amount of dragon motifs around the place. Signs of Leon were scattered around the penthouse, very subtly, of course but they were still there nonetheless. 

Last night both the James siblings, the eight gym leaders and Leon sat around on the rotom with Professor Kukui to talk about the device they'd found. Orion agreed to help with the investigation over the region whilst the other leaders were going to explore their own avenue, Lucinda was going to continue with the tour for now and Leon was going to tag along with the older of the pair to help. Kukui was going to dig through his research notes and send Orion what he’d found out when he studied their devices. 

“Casa de Raihan gets four stars for the staff, minus one for poor quality room service,” Orion announced upon his entry into the surprisingly dragon-free kitchen. 

“Bite me,” Raihan shot back playfully. 

“I would but you might like it,” Orion blurted, unable to stop himself. He swore at himself, cheeks turning a little red which just made Raihan laugh even harder. “Arceus I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean that. I lack a brain to mouth filter. Just ask anyone who knows me.”  _ Well I only lack a brain to mouth filter when there’s someone hot in the room. Idiot _ , he cursed himself. He held his hands up as a gesture of peace and pointed to the food on the kitchen bench, “can I help with anything?”

Raihan shook his head, “nah, we’ve got it covered. What you can do is tell us more about the first encounter you had with the devices, maybe put a shirt on.”

“Umbreon’s sleeping on my shirt and I left my clothes back at Sonia’s,” Orion answered. All he had clean were the shorts he now wore. “If you wanna go in there and mess with a pregnant Pokemon, be my guest dragon boy.” 

“I’m sure I’ve got something lying around you could wear,” Raihan answered, grinning in such a way that his fangs were poking over the top of his lips. He motioned for Orion to grab a couple other plates from the bench and follow him into the dining room. “But your stuff got delivered this morning from Sonia, and she sent your rotem too, so that’s one less thing you gotta do today.”

The first thing Orion saw when they came into the dining room was Banette and Leon, the pokemon had toddled her way out of the bedroom and was perched up on his lap, eating from a bag of snacks she’d obviously found in his messenger bag. “Sneak thief,” the champion muttered under his breath. Orion sat down in the place that was obviously set for him and practically inhaled his coffee. “Oh Arceus this is the best coffee I’ve ever had,” he groaned, sinking into his chair, “I think I might have to move in. Hey Banette?” 

Leon laughed, “I don’t think the islands are quite ready to lose you just yet.”

“Now that depends on what Arceus has in store for me,” Orion retorted. He sat the coffee down and poked at the eggs on his plate, “so, I was thinking today I’ll go take a look at the den where the device was found.” He stabbed some food and munched on it carefully, swallowing before he spoke again. “Do you mind if I leave Umbreon and Espeon here? I’ll go and trade out some of my older Pokemon but I don’t want to be sending them out to fight if something happens. I can make do with four for now.”  _ Especially since one of those four is a legendary.  _

“Sure,” Raihan shrugged. “You’ll keep us updated if you find anything?” Orion rolled his eyes as if to say duh. “Your professor said he was sending the data he had, do you know when that’ll come?”

“When it comes I guess,” Orion replied. “The professor needs a courier and it’ll be someone he trusts so hopefully it’s Lillie, you’ll really like her.”  _ And hopefully it wasn’t Hau. _ “He’s a little off with the fairies sometimes so he might take a day or two to get himself organised. But once Sonia pulls the device apart and gets her notes, hopefully Lillie and her can compare what they have. Sound okay?”

Leon rubbed Banette on top of her head and she made a happy sound before swallowing more food. “Sounds like you know what you’re doing Orion. We'll follow your lead.” 

And he really wished they wouldn't. Orion was a guest here in Galar, jokes about moving in aside, he wasn't here to step in on local affairs when there were gym leaders here that could take charge. Raihan in particular. "I'll work on the Alola lead, investigate the den, but I ain’t your leader, Lucy is, hell, Raihan is more than anything." Orion stabbed his eggs until there was nothing left but a murky yellow mess that he scooped onto his toast. "I’ll do my thing and report back to you guys.” 

Both Raihan and Leon looked at each other, shrugging as they sensed the finality of Orion’s words. He really seemed like he didn’t want to argue. The dragon master cleared his throat after scoffing down some bacon and motion to Leon, “we’ll go see what else we can find off Sonia about the device, see if she found anything overnight, cause there’s no way she actually got some sleep with this stuff going on.”

Orion muffled his agreement through a mouthful of food and grabbed the coffee cup on the table, “I’ll take a shower thanks.” He snatched his bag up on the way by, heading back to his room and closing the door behind him. His pokemon didn’t move much when he came in, aside from Absol who stretched out and trotted after him to the bathroom. Orion had a plan to work off even if it was just the rough draft of a plan but at least it was a start. 

Upon exiting the bathroom, which had far too many dragons for Orion to be happy with {having a dragon statue watching him shower was a little unnerving}, the champion crossed over to his bag, towel wrapped around his waist so he could find something a little less beach-wear and more weather appropriate. Eventually he found something he was happy with and pulled all the pokemon back into their balls, clipping the four onto his belt. “You two be good, okay?” he told Umbreon and Espeon, the two of them curled up with each other. 

Raihan and Leon were doing this ridiculously cute domestic thing that involved practically dancing around each other as they cleaned the table, it made Orion’s heart sink in his chest. That used to be him and Hau back in their little house on the beach. What used to be a house full of laughter, pranks and love was now empty and lonely.  _ Orion hated that house now. _ He shook his head to dispel the awful feeling settling in his chest and cleared his throat to catch their attention. “I’ll call you if I find anything.”

“Be careful!” Leon called out after him. Lucinda would have his ass if something happened to her big brother and he wasn’t looking out for him. 

“I always am!” Orion shouted back. Somewhere back on Alola, Kukui probably had this shiver creep down the back of his spine and all he did was grin like a madman. It was a grin he was still wearing on his face when he got down to the lobby and found that Lucinda was standing there waiting for him. Of course his sister was surrounded by a couple dozen fans and happened to be signing a few autographs, it was tempting for him to slip by but ultimately he just decided to rescue her. 

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we’ve got a big day ahead of us so why don’t you leave Lucinda be and get on with her business.” It was a question or even a suggestion, more a politely worded order. Orion put an arm around Lucinda’s shoulder and steered her right away from her many adoring fans, only when the siblings got outside did they breathe out matching sighs of relief. “I don’t miss that.” Orion looked down at Lucinda and put his hand on her head, “I won’t even ask what you’re doing here when you’re supposed to be starting your gym tour.”

Lucinda shrugged like it was the most uninteresting thing in the world. “I wanted to come help you. Galar is  _ my _ home so whatever goes on in the region should include me. I’m not a kid.”

But she was. Orion didn’t have a leg to stand on though considering all the things he’d done over the least ten years that should have been for adults to deal with, not children. He’d faced madmen and would-be gods and creatures from the beyond, that was before he became champion and was a scared shitless eleven-year-old boy. “You know what bugs me about being champion? It takes away so much of your childhood and that sucks Lucy, I’m happy for you, but at the same time I wish you’d never done it. I wish the same thing about me too.” 

At that moment, Orion seemed to be further away than he’d possibly ever been before and it was almost like she’d never get him back. He had a vacant, almost sad expression on his face and that instantly vanished when a bike messenger flew passed them. That same old grin replaced his forlorn frown and Orion was suddenly pulling her towards a Pokecenter. “What are we doing?” 

“I need to get some new Pokemon,” Orion declared, stepping inside. Behind the reception counter was the same Nurse Jenny that there appeared to be in  _ every  _ Pokecenter he’d ever been in. She greeted them both with a bow, one that Orion returned as he focused his attention on the computers that were available for all trainers to use. “Can you go get some heal sprays from the shop?” 

“I’ll meet you outside,” Lucinda declared, rushing off with her mission. Honestly it just felt good to be helping her brother. 

Searching the mass of Pokemon for the right ones to help wasn’t easy, eventually Orion found what he was looking for and he transferred them into his team before logging out. His feet weren’t even outside on the pavement when the rotom started ringing, the image of the professor dead to the world over some research flashed across the screen and Orion answered it. “Morning professor, what’s up?” 

“ _ Orion? Orion I can barely hear you!” _ Kukui’s voice came in crackly over the line and for a second there Orion had to look away to see if he was the problem. The champion shook his rotom a little and tried switching the call to video, hoping that he could see him and try to get him to call back. “ _ Ah there you are!” _ Kukui shouted, waving at him. The man seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and was breezing through crowds of people. 

“Where are you Kukui?” Orion tilted his head like he was trying to figure out on image alone, freezing when he saw the boarding sign flashing overhead. “Oh please tell me you’re not coming to Galar? We only need the notes professor, Lillie will do! She’s basically your assistant!” He did see a flash of pale blond hair and he could hear a woman’s voice in the background telling Kukui to be careful, possibly watch where he was going. 

“ _ We’re coming!” _ Kukui declared. “ _ And that’s that! _ ” Really, the guy was probably more interested in the kinds of Pokemon that they had here, that and dynamaxing. “ _ We’ll see you soon! _ ” 

The call cut off when Lillie yelled at the professor to watch out again and the sound of something crashing. Orion groaned, his fingers opening a message to Leon to let him know that Kukui and Lillie were coming to help. 

“You look like you’ve seen a Ghastly,” Lucinda noted. She came up with a bag in each hand and handed one of them to Orion who arched an eyebrow at the overabundance of supplies sitting inside. “What? The clerk saw who I was and just gave me like double of everything I needed. There’s serious perks to being a champion,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Everything okay?” the pre-teen asked, tilting her head to try and give him a read. 

“Yup!” Orion declared, popping the p suddenly. “How many dens are in the wild area?”

“Dozens.” Lucinda finished shoving the supplies into her backpack and put the bag in the trash on their way out of Hammerlocke. “And each of them more than likely has a dynamax Pokemon to deal with, since you don’t have the band yet, you leave the battling to me, okay big brother?” 

“You got it sis.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates will be kinda slow since I have work and have various other obligations but I promise I will get them up if you enjoy the read!


End file.
